(edited.2020.03.31)
Locked Away, Chapter 10
A month was not long enough! Misty swore while she kicked on her winter boots as opposed to the heeled variation she wore months prior. She stood with her hands brushing over her hips. Beside her front door, her packed traveling bag was disregarded. She was getting ready to leave the small house beside the Cerulean City gym, to head back into Viridian City to pick up Ash. It was a little before sunrise, and the chill hadn't even left the air yet.
She rolled her eyes with an excessive sigh. Combing her fingers through her short hair, she pulled and tugged it into an off-center, messy ponytail. She opted for more convenient clothes, abandoning her cascade earrings and necklace entirely during her morning routine. Rather she wore a simple red and yellow t-shirt, and dark blue skinny jeans. Misty refused to wear pencil skirts and heeled boots in the late fall, especially if she was going to be walking a lot again. After her last trip visiting Ash, her feet were still sore. Thinking about the raven-haired boy, she sighed as she stood up and stomped her boots gently against the ground; her feet had to adjust because she spent most of her time home wearing sandals.
"How long are you going to be gone this time sissy?" She heard her oldest sister, Daisy, shout from inside of their shared living room. Misty huffed, removing her phone from her pocket and puckering her lips gently. She glanced at the date and grimaced.
"Three days, at the most. I have a tournament to monitor on the 29th." Misty replied loudly, stepping over a discarded blanket to reach the coat rack. The house was a disaster—while she managed to save the gym, their house was another story entirely. Her coat of choice was her black athletics jacket—otherwise known as her league jacket. The Kanto Pokemon League logo was sprayed on the back as she straightened her collar.
"You said you would only be gone a week last time." Lily ridiculed her younger sister, smacking her lips like she had gum in her mouth. Her hair was lightened into a soft pink hue, and she sat in the recliner near the television. Misty rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah, well circumstances..." Misty began but Violet cut in. Her sisters never let her finish.
"Circumstances or not, you can't just up and leave the gym for over a month again, sissy."
Misty snapped, "And why not? You guys are technically gym leaders, too, you know. Help out!" She groaned throwing her arms up as she gathered her gear.
"Because you do it so much better than us!" Daisy whined, turning the corner to see Misty off. Out of all of her sisters, Daisy was the only one that ever seemed sincere in her claims but Misty still had to fight the urge to scream.
"Thank you. I know. But it will only be for three days at the most; please, for my sanity, do your chores." She whined.
A month back at the gym was not nearly long enough to repair the damage left by her sisters when Misty returned. Apparently, they neglected to clean the filter systems, so most of the pools were green when Misty returned. On top of that, mildew grew around the stands and scum build-up framed the corners of the pool—it needed to be maintained daily, an her sisters rarely maintained anything except for their hair and nails. Not to mention that they scared two of her students away!
"I promise to try harder," Daisy swore, walking up to her sister holding the cascade necklace she left at the washroom sink. Daisy dropped the necklace over her sister's head, and Misty huffed.
"Daisy, you have school to worry about. Make Lily and Violet work, too." She warned, eying the two other girls suspiciously; they stuck out their tongues with a goofy grin as Daisy swiped her index finger knuckle against Misty's chin in a motherly-fashion.
"We will be fine. It won't be perfect like a Misty rendition; but we will manage." Daisy told her, knocking on Misty's insane routine. Misty tried to accept that; she had to learn to share the responsibility, but it irked her to no end that her sisters only worked half as hard as she did.
"Thanks Daisy." Misty coughed, tossing her pack over her shoulders while Daisy grinned happily.
"And don't forget to introduce us to your boyfriend soon!" They mock-cheered in unison, garnering a dramatic, deep embodied sigh from Misty. Of course, they would not let that go. Ash was clearly not her boyfriend, an accidental problem sure. Not. Her. Boyfriend. Misty rolled her eyes, dismissing the claim without a further emotional draw and then smiled chipper at her sisters.
"I will see you girls in three days." She budged the door open, knowing if she stayed longer she would miss the train. She paused at the door to glare evilly at them. "Don't burn anything down while I'm gone."
XOX
Arriving in Viridian City in the same fashion she had the first time, she exited the train station, got her ticket stamped, yelled at a few immature teens, and hailed a taxi. She preferred to take a taxi to the assisted living home rather than walking because she would arrive much faster. With any luck, she would beat the afternoon traffic. She lifted her sleeve to spy her watch, the time was only a few minutes after eleven, so with any luck, she could be there, and be home again by the end of the day. With the official league matches starting again soon, she couldn't even think about abandoning the gym longer than absolutely necessary. Sure, Ash needed help, but hopefully, he found the ground to stand on his own two feet by now. A month wasn't very long—not really—but it was long enough she hoped.
When the facility came into view, her breath left her body. She didn't think she would be back so soon. The days seemed to flash by, though, she bet they dragged on for Ash. He hadn't bothered to call her much; dissimilar to what she believed he would. Really, the only times he called her were during thunderstorms—but during the last week, the weather had been nice. For a few moments, she questioned if he still wanted her around—and would have called to verify this if she didn't already know that she had to be here. Misty peered up to the clear sky above as she scooted out of the yellow taxi and onto the dirt road in front of the facility. She slammed the door shut after collecting her bag and dropping the man a twenty-dollar bill.
Here she was again. Without missing a beat, because Misty Waterflower never missed a step, she approached the large glass pained windows and pressed them open with little force. The gush of heat that hit her face brought her to a shudder as she wiped her shoes on the entrance rug to avoid tracking in dirt and mud.
The roads were still slightly damp from the sudden rainfall that crashed through Viridian City and most of northern Kanto over the last couple of weeks, but the light surrounding the assisted living home was unchanged. The same, permanent smell of coffee hung in the air while Misty waved at the lady in the front office.
"Oh, Ms. Waterflower! You're back!" The administrator called rather excitedly, slapping her hands together as she bound from her desk where she had been reading over some papers to the door frame.
"Yeah, that new lady-therapist, Dr. Abby, called last night and said that he would be ready to pick up today." Misty reiterated, twisted her hands as a gesture. The administrator nodded gleefully.
"I believe that is right. I have a few papers that you need to sign after you get everything settled, okay? I'll have Pam ready the documents for you, and once you're ready just stop by here again."
Misty shot the woman a neat smile and nodded curtly; "Alright, will do." She mused halfheartedly while the administrator funneled back into her office.
Knowing her way around the building from her previous week of visitation, she wandered down the hall with her thumbs looped in her front pockets, walking past the dining room, which was preparing for lunch. Misty had half the mind to sneak in to grab a cup of coffee because she missed her morning beverage today, but decided against it as she saw a group gathered at the end of the hall in the activity wing of the building.
Unnoticed, she made her way there quietly by pulling her arms against her chest. The echo of laughter framed the otherwise bare hallways. She exhaled when moving past a nurse's station, on the far opposite end of the physical therapy wing; but she heard his laugh echo down the hall from the wooden-floored area. As she suspected, sitting at the table with Agatha, and two older men, was Ash; holding a large sum of... Misty pinched the bridge of her nose, poker chips.
They taught him poker!?
She approached swiftly, clearing her throat to make her presence known to the small group. "Jeeze, Agatha, did you introduce him to hookers and booze, too?" Misty played while knocking the older woman very gently on the arm. Ash nearly bound out of his seat upon seeing her.
Right away, Ash noticed that her shoes no longer made the familiar tap that he so awkwardly associated with her presence; he didn't hear her approach the table.
"Misty!" Ash cheered, trying to drown his overbearing excitement. "You made it back safely." He added, letting his words fall flat. Misty watched him with a twinkle in her eye; he looked so much healthier. Agatha reeled away from the red-head.
"You've changed a lot." Misty pointed out, addressing his muscled shoulders, his bold jawline—which held little to no unhealthy bulging bones or sickly sunken cheeks. His skin was also far from pale, having returned to its chestnut color. He rubbed his nose; unfortunately, his clothes were still bored hand-me-downs that were patched in a few areas; most likely Agatha's doing.
Ash couldn't say the same to her. Aside from the change of clothes and her hair being tied messily, she looked mostly the same as she always did.
"Stop gawking at each other and just kiss already." Agatha groaned with a detrimental eye roll.
Ash's features went from pure happiness to pure shock. His cheeks turned a violent red. Ash looked from the gray-haired woman to Misty, ready to deny the accusations, but Misty remained entirely unaffected by Agatha's claim.
"Good to know you still have some kick in you." Misty laughed, letting the comment slip as if she was not bothered by it. Ash's face regained some of its normal colors as his heart rate lowered—perhaps...she was unaffected by it? She was older now so maybe it wasn't normal to freak out as he did anymore. He supposed, at least according to Agatha's horrible drama shows, that people Ash's age weren't supposed to be scared of girls anymore.
"Of course I do. I bet I could still beat you too." Agatha taunted with her eyebrows raised. Misty grinned in retort.
"Only if the competition was based on the number of wrinkles," Misty snarled with lowered eyelids. Ash's mouth fell ajar—and then he realized that this wasn't uncommon for the two—in fact, it made perfect sense. Two dominant females in one room, there was bound to be a few jokes heard.
Misty cracked first, leaning down to hug the woman, much to Ash's surprise.
"It's good to see you again. I hope he wasn't too much trouble." Misty cooed, shooting a mischievous look at Ash whose face fell.
"What?" Ash yelped, eyebrows narrowed. They ignored him.
"Quite the contrary! He was very sweet." Agatha motioned to Ash, and he puffed out his cheeks and folded his arms aimlessly. He should have been insulted, or even known that this was some type of ploy by Misty, but he wasn't. In fact, he was a little honored by the fact that she left someone in the facility that knew about him. At least it made sense why Agatha was so friendly when she had no reason to be at the start.
"You asked her to watch me?" Ash muttered, feeling a bit like a dog. Misty stood up and crossed her arms behind her back, allowing him to see the full pokemon league jacket that she wore zipped up past her chest, leaving just enough room for the collar to remain popped.
"No, it was a coincidence; but when you mentioned that you met her, I did call to catch up with her," Misty admitted and Agatha nodded her approval. Ash folded his arms. He would never understand females and why they talked about him.
"Anyways, Ash. I believe you're leaving today!" Agatha chirped. "Misty, why don't you go wait in his room so I can say my goodbyes?"
"He's not leaving yet-"
"They have bingo down at the bingo hall today and the bus leaves at noon," Ash said pointedly, raising his index finger as he approached Misty, who was easily three inches shorter than him; finally deducing that without her heels, he was taller than her after all. He grinned inwardly at that.
Unimpressed, Misty pursed her lips at the woman. "You'd rather go to bingo than say goodbye to him?" She mocked and the woman shrugged.
"The pot is up to ten grand. Could you imagine winning that?" She posed the question so that Misty would snort and roll her eyes.
"Alright, Agatha." Misty mused effortlessly, patting Ash on the shoulder as she turned to walk back to the opposite end of the facility, to Ash's room on the physical therapy wing. "Don't be a stranger, old bird." Misty chirped without turning to face them.
The veins of anger that appeared over the woman's face made her lips curl over her teeth and her fingers tighten around her cane.
"I'm not that old yet." She muttered under her breath, though Ash wanted to say she lived in an assisted living home; and only old people did that—well, except for him. He was an exception. He looked down at his feet. A damn good exception.
"C'mon, don't space out again. I have a gift of my own for you." She wagered, swatting him on the back of the head to draw him away from his deep thoughts. He grimaced, following her from the activities room, sparing a short goodbye to the old men they played poker with. Quickly, he spared a single glance in Misty's direction; he noticed right away she carried a full backpack rather than her large white purse, and normal shoes rather than her tapping ones. Ash inhaled boldly, forcing his eyes away from the sway of her red-hair as she pranced down the hall and returned his gaze to the old woman before him.
She lived in the hall nearest the garden, in the very last room that she shared with a woman named Rose—a crazy old bird who never seemed to stay in one spot for very long. The room was void of other people when they arrived. Aside from Rose's plethora of flowers and decorations Agatha's part of the room was empty.
"You didn't have to get me anything," Ash said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Nonsense. I have to bribe you with something so that you come back to visit." Snickering at her words, he shook his head. That was most definitely not unlike her.
"Here. This is for you." She handed him a small bag, large enough for a small item only. He pursed his lips, pulling it up only to have his hands slapped. "Don't open it here! Open it after you leave! I don't want any thank yous." She whipped, getting a confused blink in return.
"Why? You've been so nice to me that.."
"I said no! If you're thankful, come back and visit later and let me know what you thought about the gift." Agatha scolded him, getting a smile in return, followed by an abrupt hug.
"Thank you for being my friend," Ash whispered, separating only to see for once, her harsh look replaced with one of motherly-affection and smiled up at the boy.
"You're a good kid. Don't ever change that, no matter what happens. Alright?" Agatha warned him and Ash nodded with a skip a turn, and then a hop out of her door.
"Don't forget to visit," Agatha called after him as he waved at her with a smile, and then collapsed onto her bed to rest her tired feet. The home would be boring without his beaming face.
XOX
Having regained his confidence by ridding his life of Dr. Sebastian Ash was comfortable in his skin. Attending a normal therapy session where he talked about the next steps, rather than his dreamed-up past, Ash was more-than-ready to take on the world. He was still nervous, still worried, and still petrified of what could happen to him after the assisted living home, but he at least now he had the mindset to know what he would need to do come to the worst-case scenario. Dr. Abby helped him understand how dire his situation would be if for some reason he could not find his mother. However, she also helped him understand how to work through those processes in case of an emergency. The most important and looming emergency was the very realistic chances of becoming homeless if he didn't find family somewhere.
The last few weeks at the facility, he spent helping other patients, still learning as much about the world as he possibly could—and learning to ask and answer his own questions. Unfortunately, because of the horrible assessment Dr. Sebastian left him with, he was only allowed to leave the facility on a day trip once and that was to the library where he spent some time trying to learn how to operate the new-age computers. The world was at his fingertips, he found, but the experience was a short-lived one. He checked out a few books about training and one about coma-recovery. The later of the books he didn't manage to get into; medical terminology was still painfully boring to read, and while he found discovering the world through books was beneficial—he was more of a hands-on kind of boy. He shook his head, correcting his thought. Man. He wanted to see the world for himself, not through the screens of a television, or the images in a book. Ash was ready to experience his own life again, living a month in a home dedicated to helping people who were at the end of their lives pressed Ash to understand that even though he lost ten years—he still had a lot going for him.
Such as, he wasn't dead.
With that thought, he reached his door with a slow crawl, remembering that Misty returned. He stopped at the door to catch his breath, reframe his thoughts, and then stepped into the bedroom to discover that she had cracked open the journal left on his bed earlier and was skimming through it. His heart sunk and his face turned red. He bound for her, ripping the purple and blue book out of her hands, much to her surprise. She grinned sheepishly, as if being caught red-handed.
"Sorry." She beamed, and Ash slammed the journal into his top dresser drawer and fought the heat rising to his cheeks, he glowered at her.
"I know you know that's rude." he scolded her.
Misty scoffed and rolled her eyes at the same time as kicking away from his bed. "I'm sorry. Dr. Abby mentioned you started a medical journal."
"You've already talked with Dr. Abby?" he asked, deflated. Misty nodded.
"Who do you think called me?" She argued with knit eyebrows. "It's not like you ever called."
Ash's face fell and he shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't want to be a bother." He chimed dreadfully, though his worry was washed away by a flipped smile of her own.
"Don't worry about it. I was really busy but you shouldn't be nervous about calling." She grumbled quickly, shifting through the bag she brought with her. It was green, a bit more boy-like than he had seen her ever wear previously, but decided not to mention it as she rummaged through the pack.
"I wasn't nervous." He denied but she missed his obvious lie by revealing a red cap from her bag. He blinked once, seeing the familiar shape. "What's that?" He asked suddenly, the words falling from his lips.
She grinned at him. "A hat." She placed the item at the foot of his bed and gestured towards it.
"For me?" he asked skeptically having not seen a hat in years, technically.
"No, for your imaginary friend." She quipped sarcastically, next removing a blue light coat with yellow trim down the sides that she dropped on the bed beside the hat, following it with a black, long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of blue-gray jeans, a brown belt, and a pair of black and red sneakers. Ash, who hadn't moved from his slouch against the dresser, stood astonished at the new clothes she revealed.
"...Misty, what are those?" He asked in disbelief.
"Clothes?" His look of defeat made her lose the sarcasm. She caught his glance for a moment, then removed her white purse from the bottom fo the green bag.
"A gift from my sisters and I, actually." She reframed as a faint blush crossed her cheeks. A grin tugged at Ash's lips as he wiggled the unopened gift from Agatha.
"Man, I'm getting spoiled today." he laughed, watching as Misty scooped up the vase which now had garden roses tucked inside. Watching her maneuver familiarly, he walked over to his wardrobe which had been emptied out, aside from his jacket, egg, and Misty's scarf. He plucked the latter two into his hands and juggled them awkwardly as he reached the foot of his bed.
"My egg." Misty cooed happily, taking it from his fingers the moment she saw it. She examined all sides, making sure that it hadn't cracked anywhere before bringing it into a slight, infatuated hug.
"You didn't break it." She emitted and Ash choked on the air, pressing his hand again his chest and sucking in his lips.
"No, I didn't." he pouted then snatched the egg from her in exchange for the scarf. She clearly didn't recognize the slightly dirtied fabrics as she tilted her head. Suddenly, when the lightbulb turned on a very distinct "o" being pressed from her lips.
"I was wondering where I misplaced this." She admitted sheepishly, looking up to him as she quickly tossed it over and behind her neck. "Now c'mon, try on your new clothes." She egged him on getting a distressed look from him.
"I can't accept that Misty. You've already done so much..." He whined, but Misty put up her hands.
"You're not going to meet your mom dressed like that, are you?" She gestured to his jeans which had holes where the patches were and were faded in several spots. That didn't include his worn shirt which had a few faded spots, and holes around the collar and sleeves. He pulled on his outfit and pursed his lips pathetically. Misty didn't tear her sea-green eyes off him as he made the decision to put on the clothes.
"Fine," he muttered, though he didn't like the idea of taking more handouts from Misty. He snatched the clothes and bundled them in his arm while leaving the egg near the pillow on his bed. Misty whistled and handed him the green bag to take as well. Her face was pink at the notion.
"Daisy and I bought you some underwear, too, because we doubted that you had any." she coughed awkwardly.
With that, his face drew into such a heated state that he nearly tripped on his way into the bathroom. He slammed the door shut after her confession. Upon investigating the back, staring back at him was his unmentionables. He slapped his face. embarrassed; the last person in the world to purchase any for him was his mother, and that was over ten years ago. His entire face contorted awkwardly. Was it weirder that he hadn't gotten any, or that he was free-balling it for the last month after the hospital?
Ash winced visibly and shuddered as he removed the washed and delicately folded black and gray garments. How thoughtful, and how embarrassing. He pressed his hand against his face, feeling the heat radiating off of his features while Misty whistled from behind the door and brushed the heels of her feet against the carpet. She sat on his bed, waiting for him to come out while cradling the egg between her fingers.
It shouldn't have been weird, he told himself as he peeled off his shirt and pants. Misty was trying to help him out—as were most of the people in the facility, but perhaps, they forgot sometimes Ash's largest dilemma: he may have looked twenty, but he had the mentality of a ten-year-old—at the most a twelve-year-old by this point. Aside from the information he heard on late-night news, he was still really weird about a lot of situations that should have been normal for people his physical age. People buying him undergarments was one of these situations. His face blushed scarlet as he tugged on the boxers without looking and then the jeans she purchased for him shortly after.
"Do they fit?" Misty called from his room and his lungs shriveled in his chest.
"Does what fit?" he stammered and he could hear her huff.
"The clothes!" she shrieked with less patience than she intended. Ash grimaced, then wrapped the belt around his waist which was fitted with slots for pokeballs, if he ever got them again. Ash then pulled on the black, long-sleeved shirt and then tucked it into his jeans before following with the blue jacket with short sleeves, and pushed open the door as he began buttoning it up.
"Leave the last one unbuttoned," she said quickly, stealing his words as she referenced her own top. "It lets the collar remain popped." She winked at him and he fought the urge to smile.
"'kay..." He stammered awkwardly but followed her advice. He looked at himself in the mirror in the bathroom, dressed in blues and blacks while she approached him from behind to drop the red hat onto his head, the front engraved with the Kanto league symbol; the same as the one decorating the back of her black coat and his whole body swayed.
For the first time, even though he was taller, his chest wider, his shoulders broader and his face older—he looked like himself. To make it better, he felt like himself too. His appearance took his breath away, and he spun on his heels to thank Misty properly but she was already back at the foot of his bed rummaging through her purse.
"Thank you." He said confidently.
"You're welcome."
Silence funneled through the room, and Ash wanted to ask her what she had been up to the last few days but she beat him to the question.
"Are you ready to leave?" She asked and Ash shook his head clear of thoughts. He maneuvered over to the vase and removed the dying roses from it before taking it into the bathroom to wash it out and dry it. From there, she eyed him as he set the vase down beside the green bag, and then marched over to the small plastic bag he had folded up on the chair she used to sit in all the time—filled with a few scrap papers, the washroom supplies she purchased and the books she had given to him.
"Yep." he said while tucking the two items, as well as Agatha's gift into his bag and looking up confidently at Misty. Her face scrunched in return.
"You can just throw those out, Ash." She justified, pointing to the books and vase. He shook his head vehemently, unable to part with a gift that easily. He then scooped up the egg before she could deny him and tucked it into the backpack after laying his discarded clothes at the bottom of the bag for a cushion.
"It's fine." He assured her with a confident smile as he zipped from one corner to the other.
"I need to stop by to talk with Dr. Abby, and sign off on the payment plan they said that they would create for me, and then we're good to go." As he spoke, his words took a less enthusiastic turn, especially nearing the payment plan comment. He was going to have to work to pay for all of this treatment, he found out, it wasn't free. Unfortunately, he had no idea how he would pay—seeing as recovering coma patients with no experience and young mentalities didn't exactly scream 'hire me' on the job market. Ash's only skills consisted of understanding pokemon and being slightly crazy. He wasn't exactly the most available for work.
Lost in his own thoughts, he almost missed the small up-turn of Misty's lips as she licked them.
"Well, then let's get that over with, shall we?"
XOX
Dr. Abby's loud room was only a few steps away from the physical therapy wing. She was housed between the dining room and the nurse's station on the east wing, and classic music always filled the halls near her room. Misty didn't actually think she sounded strange on the phone...but after seeing the woman in person, she had her doubts. Guess a person had to be a little crazy to deal with crazy people. Ash knocked on the door frame to alert the pregnant woman of his presence. She turned, slightly swollen around her cheeks from her long pregnancy and smiled at the duo.
"Oh no! Is that today?" She whined, eyebrows lowering as she forced herself up from the seat, wrapping her left arm around her belly.
"Yep. Today's the day." Ash assured her, propping out his hand to assist with her standing; a motion that surprised Misty—a month ago, Ash didn't know he wasn't supposed to talk without his mouth full, now, he was helping women up from their seats. She wiggled her eyebrow with a coy smirk.
"Hi, Dr. Abigail," Misty greeted, shaking the woman's hand. "When are you due?" Misty asked after.
"Oh, soon. Very soon." She wavered, feeling light-headed at the question. She waddled over to her desk where she revealed a paper and then smiled at the two of them.
"Goodbyes are always so difficult." She mustered and shook her head, "but may I have a few words with you Ms. Waterflower?"
Misty blinked curiously, unprepared for such a question. Since she left, she didn't think anyone would be asking her for any more assistance—especially since Ash seemed so entirely capable on his own. He seemed stunned by the request as well and shared a brief glance with Misty.
"Yeah, I guess so." Misty gestured. "Go for it."
"Oh," The doctor paused and looked at Ash. "I meant in private." She corrected, and Ash's face fell as he blinked worriedly.
"Oh." The duo said in unison, and Misty steps into the room so that Ash could step out. He lowered his eyebrows worriedly, and as usual the therapist waved him off.
"Nothing to worry about, we'll only be a few minutes." She said while Misty shrugged, offered a small smile of confidence, and then shut the door on Ash; leaving him to stand in the hallway like a stranger.
His eyes cast to the floor, trying to listen in on the conversation that they were having, only to remember that the large doors were fire-safety and practically soundproof when shut. He scowled wondering what in the world the therapist needed to talk with Misty about. She said that Ash made great progress, so much that he was even allowed to leave as planned and had his name cleared of Dr. Sebastian's nonsense—a task they found easier than expected since Dr. Sebastian's comments were thrown out because he had gone missing only a couple of days after Ash saw him.
Ash wiggled his hips slightly, still trying to adjust to the new clothes—they fit him nearly perfect. The pant legs were a little on the longer side, so he pulled them up a little bit higher as he took his bag and fell into the seat across the from the office. He wasn't sure how girls managed to do it, but they, at least Misty, seemed to know how to dress people with little effort. She did come strolling in wearing... Whoa, weird thoughts, Ash. Ash thought to himself while clapping his hands together and blowing out air. He glanced at the clock on the wall—Agatha would be off and away on the bus to the bingo hall already, so he had nothing better to do than wait as he watched the other residents in wheelchairs be shuffled from their rooms to the dining hall. He would miss lunch today which meant that hopefully, he could swing by to grab a bite to eat at that burrito place Misty mentioned. It wasn't that the food was bad here, it was simply marketed to older people, so it was both really bland and typically really mushy.
He would have killed for a burger. Even though he hadn't had one in years he could not forget the greasy flavors mashed between fluffy white bread with a mixture of onions and dressings... He licked his lips staring up at the light at the top of the hallway. Man, he was hungry. No, starving.
When the door clicked open again, Ash jumped from his seat at full attention, watching as Misty heaved a loud sigh, listening to a last comment from Dr. Abby as she shook her head slightly. She looked a little downtrodden, confused by whatever they talked about; possibly even a bit sad.
"Misty?" Ash called to her, catching her off guard. The look passed, and she stuck up her shoulders and forced a smile for him, clearing her throat.
"She said to send you in once we were done." She tugged her lips up, revealing her white teeth and Ash furrowed his brows slightly.
"Are you okay?"
After a very brief, barely-there hesitation, she nodded confidently, but Ash noticed she didn't like how quickly he had caught on. He grinned as she moved to allow him to walk into the bright room.
"I'll just be out here when you're done, alright?" Misty said while reeling away from him. Ash smiled briefly, watching her leave before shutting the door behind him as he walked into the familiar brightly colored room.
"What's up, Dr. Abby?" he quizzed calmly, slipping into his seat on the orange couch that he had grown so familiar with. The woman smiled.
"You seem to be in a rather good mood." She observed and Ash nodded. Why wouldn't he be?
"Of course, I get to leave today, and on top of that I got to see Misty again." He said matter-of-factly, missing a very aware eyebrow raise from the doctor.
"I see..." She suggested calmly flattening out the folds of her skirt as she leaned forward. "Before I can let you leave, I need to make sure that you're okay. You know that, right?"
"I am. I'm better than okay." he paused thoughtfully. "I'm ready." He added, feeling anxious as he palmed his blue-gray jeans, familiarizing himself with the fabric.
"So you admit that regardless of the truth about your dreams, you will continue to be okay?"
Ash nodded confidently. "Why, did you find something out?"
"Well, yes and no. It's only a hypothesis." She said calmly, twisting her wedding band around her finger. Ash watched the action carefully as she swiped her hand through her teal hair.
"Do you remember when I said we would find a logical solution for some radical oddities?" She paused and he nodded. "I have some news that may come as bit of a shock—so I hope you're prepared." Ash's face scrunched up at the notion, and she offered him a soft smile. "If I didn't think you were prepared I wouldn't be tell you." She swore, watching Ash relax.
"What is it?" He asked, trying to remain confident.
"To start, I took the information you gave me a few weeks ago, as well as some of the things we have talked about since. Then, with the help of some nurses and doctors from Viridian City Hospital.. I believe I have pieced together a solution for you." She revealed a paper to Ash as she spoke, and he took it with gazing eyes. Reading over some of her suggestions before looking up at her worriedly.
"As you mentioned before the first person you traveled with was Misty." Ash nodded his confirmation. "She's the one who saved you from the forest; she is also the one who visited the most for the first three years of your coma—she was there as a cushion—the way your mind justified your irrational world."
Ash swallowed, "Okay?"
"So, after research, and my own studies, I believe that the reason you know so much about her is that during those three years when she visited you every week she probably told you all of those things that you know about her. She was speaking to your subconscious and while we can't remember everything when we're awake, sometimes little comments remain the most important in subconscious memory. She was speaking to your subconscious thoughts, so you retained the information and even transformed the information from what she said, into your own dream. You were essentially absorbing your surroundings and using them to fuel your own mind."
With the completion of her explanation, Ash exhaled; he had been told that once from Dr. Sebastian before he flew off the handle; though, Ash thought that didn't answer how he knew the rest of the people...
"In regards to the rest of the people you developed in your dream; they're all people that left a lasting impact on your unconscious state. It seems, your body, whether you realized it or not, acknowledged and related to something that they stood for, and so you brought them to live in your mind." She handed Ash a picture next, a piece of security footage that showed a picture of this world's Brock walking into the hospital. Ash's breath hitched.
"Brock Harrison, the Pewter City gym leader was a frequent visitor to Viridian City hospital as well. He visited the room beside yours for almost two years after your coma initially started. I'm not obliged to tell you why he was visiting, but something about him reflected inside of you, and so you created him in your mind as a friend—possibly even an out for the fact that you would never age." Ash's face flushed when she referenced the idea that Brock represented his repressed sexuality. It was an idea he was not unfamiliar with; but as he was now, he wasn't really surprised. There was a lot about that has didn't know, and didn't want to know.
"Further on," She skipped, down the list. "Tracey Sketchit was a famous artist from the orange islands. He had a reality TV show that your mom used to watch in the room with you when she would visit."
"So my unconscious mind thought that I related to him in some way and I brought him in, too?" Ash paused, "Why wouldn't I just bring everyone in all at once?"
"Because you were constantly looking for a way to prove to yourself that you were moving forward without putting up alarms. Your mind knew that if things didn't change, you might have figured something was wrong and woken up. That's why when someone became too mature; you pressed the reset button."
"Which is why my mind replaced Misty..?"
"Correct. The information she fed you was no longer current, so you had to start pulling from other sources; such is the case of May Maple, a young girl from Hoenn. You were correct that she is the daughter of the Petalburg gym leaders..." She paused eying him. "But can you tell me what her profession is?"
"She competed in pokemon contests."
Dr. Abby shook her head confidently. "She's not even a traditional pokemon trainer." She said while handing Ash a print out of the girl who looked like May holding a camera and walking through the safari zone, or what Ash thought was the safari zone.
"So why did I recreate May and her brother?" Ash asked.
"Aside from having to reset your mind periodically, she was headlining news about three years after your coma started. She got into a very serious accident during one of the early riots in Petalburg city and her and her family front-lined the papers as a symbol to represent an unjust government."
Ash's breath hitched; "is she okay?" he asked quickly and Dr. Abby nodded.
"Yes. She's fine now. But back then, her family, her brother, Max, included were activists against Team Rocket. According to your primary doctor; your mother watched the news station they were on when she visited."
"So, like Tracey, I found something in them that I reflected and dragged them into my world?" Ash repeated himself as if that was going to make it make sense.
Dr. Abby nodded: "Now you're getting it."
"As for Dawn, her mother was a famous top-coordinator, as is Dawn. She became famous around the time you were fifteen, taking the world by storm she was loved and advertised on nearly every news network."
"Fair enough..." Ash mused, a little deflated to know that his dreams were well... just fabrications of reality after all. "What about Iris and Cilan?"
At the mention of those two, Dr. Abby rubbed her eyes and revealed a more recent picture of the Unova region to Ash; he had seen it a couple of times. What was left of the region. It was a burnt, broken mess; and no matter how often he saw it, it still made his stomach churn.
"Iris, the only one I can assume you're talking about, was a tan, wild girl with large purple hair who raised dragon pokemon, right?"
"Right," Ash confirmed, setting the pictures on the coffee table, unable to look at them.
"We knew her as the Dragon Master; the last Champion from the Unova region before it was swarmed by Team Rocket three years ago. Her closest political partner? A green-haired man named Cilan." Finishing her spiel, she presented Ash with a picture of what looked exactly like Iris, but older and with her hair tied up. She had the same determined look in her eyes as she stood at the top of a tower of sorts with none-other than Cilan standing beside her. The article below the picture, however, made Ash's chest sink.
"They were pronounced dead, even though their bodies were never uncovered after the mini-war that Team Rocket ran on Unova during their attempt to capture rare dragon pokemon. In the end, the region was left in ruins, only being picked up by Kanto region in the most recent years. This is the incident put Team Rocket and Giovanni behind bars."
Tears tugged at the back of Ash's eyes, but he wouldn't cry over it. It wasn't as if he really knew the duo. "But... I don't understand. She became a gym leader and Cilan pursued his dreams..."
"Ash, do you know what all of your dreams have in common, yet?" she asked sweetly, though Ash could only shake his head vehemently and drop the article as if it were on fire.
"Everyone that you fabricated gets a happy ending. Pokemon, people, the bad guys." Ash looked up at her with sad eyes. She continued. "Your mind pulled in people of great value that you felt you could relate to because that was your subconscious' way of making you believe that people were really in your mind." She paused. "Your mind was so busy making sure that everyone was happy because if it told you the truth, you might have realized your stasis and woken up; correct?"
Ash shifted. "But I always lost..."
"But you somehow always managed to pick yourself back up, didn't you?"
Ash nodded, while the news should have come to no surprise to him, it was like getting punched.
"Finally, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were pegged pretty accurately by Misty. Serena is a very famous ryhorn racer and actress in Kalos region known as "Princess Serena". Clemont is the head engineer of Silph Co. and Bonnie, while not amazingly interesting as the other two, has continued to be in news by her brother's famous nature, as well as her continued support of battling and attending tournaments."
"But Serena was a..." His eyebrows shifted and the woman shook her head.
"Showcases don't exist in this world, Ash. It's another one of those situations where when presented with something you didn't understand..." she trailed off.
"I made pokemon the answer." Ash finished for her with an abrupt sigh. "I was influenced by...by these people in some way?" He asked and Dr. Abby nodded.
"As I said, it is only a hypothesis, but it makes sense. You know them because you do know them. Your dream counterparts were based on real-world versions of those people." She suggested, getting a twitched from Ash.
He knew this. He had it drilled in his head over and over again that his dreams weren't real; that they didn't mean anything... and yet here he was—at the truth, he was still disappointed.
The corners of his mouth twitched. "So, the dreams didn't mean anything?"
"They meant something to you. But there doesn't seem to be a higher meaning—I'm sorry." She said sadly, watching him shift and glance at the door.
"So, I'm a victim of circumstance after all?" He paused. "I'm totally normal?" He asked, looking at her with doe eyes.
"As normal as you want to be." She offered and Ash gave her an innocent smile, wrapped in slight devastation. He sighed.
"I just thought that if there was some higher meaning for why I was in a coma it would be easier to cope." He admitted disappointingly, but the doctor clasped her hands together slowly and offered him a soft sigh.
"Was it helpful? Believing in that?"
Ash scoffed. "No, actually." he paused. "Still sucks knowing that I'll never get those ten years back." He whispered sadly, one of the most honest replies he provided Dr. Abby since she became his therapist. She smiled.
"But you still have years to make up that lost time. Remember, things will get better. They always do." She suggested, standing up from her seat to grasp his shoulder. He nodded slightly.
"I guess I will have to take it day by day and find out." he murmured, also rising. He shared a brief handshake with the therapist before she happily clapped him on the shoulder, her enthusiastic nature transferring through his skin.
"Get out there and be something, Ash." She suggested, and Ash found himself grinning.
"Thank you."
After a short goodbye with the woman, who gave him a small goody-bag full of candy, Ash shuffled from the therapist room to the end of the hallway towards the entrance doors where he saw Misty talking with the administrator. Wondering if what she said was true, about all of those people. He rubbed his hands together. Logically, what she suggested made the most sense—but still, something felt off about the accusation. It wasn't wrong, he knew, she was only trying to help...but a part of him. He neared Misty who handed a clipboard with a mixture of signatures to the administrator. She shared a brief smile with him before he walked in to go over his own paperwork.
A part of him knew there had to be more.
"So, I just need you to sign here, and here." The administrator pointed to the signature lines of three papers. Ash glanced over the remaining work. They were simply release papers—one of them was his therapist check, signed by Dr. Abby that he checked out mentally, the other paper was his physical therapist who assured that he was physically capable of taking care of himself, and the last one was his acceptance that he was ready to leave the facility and that he felt his time was spent well and he understood the rules and regulations he was leaving on. He signed each paper and then looked up at the woman with wide eyes.
"I thought Pam drew up a payment plan?" Ash suggested, not catching the brief glance that the administrator shared with Misty who shook her head.
"It was already paid for. Don't worry about it?"
"Paid for?" Ash gasped. "By who?" His heart raced, he could only assume his mother!
"By an anonymous donor. Sh-they wanted to remain unknown." The administrator suggested while taking the paperwork from Ash. Flabbergasted, he wasn't sure what to say.
"I don't even get a hint?" He asked, practically being pushed out of the office by the woman. Misty was standing at the front door, waiting for Ash to pull on his winter jacket as the administrator shared a brief goodbye.
"I only want to see you again as a visitor. And I mean that." She told him sternly, getting Ash to smile as he and Misty walked out of the facility together. A brief silence passed between the two of them as they pranced from the entrance and down to the sidewalk path that would take them into the city. Misty watched his dopey expression with amusement.
"Did Dr. Abby tell you?" She asked awkwardly, cutting through the silence. She also pulled him out of his list of people that would pay for his bills, worried that he would come to her as the conclusion too quickly.
"That everything I knew was because of subconscious thought?" He nodded sadly.
Misty reached out, grasping his shoulder gently. "Are you okay?" She asked, and he looked up at her, noticing how she had wrapped the scarf neatly around her neck. He made a face.
"I'm alive." he said sarcastically, unable to stop himself from adding; "I guess I know that I'm not crazy, so that's good." and I'm not special he added as an afterthought. He stuffed his hands into his new jean pockets and sighed.
"I suppose so." Misty pursed her lips as she let her hand fall off of his shoulder. They walked in relative silence for a bit until Misty spoke again.
"So you're not special after all?"
"I guess not." he looked down sullenly. "There goes my plan to become a famous fortune-teller..." He joked. His phrase catching her by surprise, she let out a bellowing laugh—an honest laugh.
"Oh well, what's so great about being special anyways?" She asked with a grin, crossing her arms confidently. "Perfectly average people accomplish amazing feats every day." She said, almost heroically.
Ash pursed his lips, eyelids lowering slightly; "Like paying for a stranger's medical bills?"
Misty stumbled and choked, raising her fist to her mouth as she coughed. Ash watched as her reaction felt so sincere and his face scrunched up.
"Who would do that?" She wheezed, trying to deny her position but Ash threw up his arms.
"So it was you!" he yelled, slapping his forehead.
"Was not!" She argued right away, walking a pace ahead of him, but he kept up.
"Then why were you signing papers when I saw you?" he argued back, nudging her on the arm. She scoffed, but couldn't find a viable excuse.
She whistled; "I liked it better when you didn't know anything going on around you."
"What's what supposed to mean?" he fumbled, but she ran.
"Hey, wait a minute! Why did you pay?" He ran to catch up with her, becoming slightly winded at such a jarring, uphill motion. Misty wrapped her fingers on her bag as they started on to the paved roads.
"Did you look at those bills? You wouldn't have been able to pay them off and they would have probably taken you to court and you would be spending time in jail trying to pay for something you needed."
Ash was aware of the situation, but he still scoffed. "Yeah but that's my responsibility."
"But it shouldn't have been. You were only ten when you went down. It wasn't fair that you should be hammered with all these bills right after." She argued, causing that familiar thump to form in Ash's chest. His hands shook, too.
He pursed his lips, they were almost sprinting by this point; "So you were the one that put in my application to leave the hospital, too?"
She shouted back, "Yeah. There was no way I was going to be able to afford what the hospital was charging."
"You've been looking at the price since back then?" He whined, grabbing her wrist to bring her to a winded stop.
"Well, were you going to make a payment plan to cover sixty grand in medical bills in over two years? It's not like someone with your experience can get a decent job." She snapped the hard truth at him, watching him like a hawk. His face lowered, and he sucked in.
"Thank you, Misty." He said, lowering his gaze to the sidewalk and then slapped his face. "At this point, though, I think I owe you my life; I don't know how I can ever repay you."
She snorted as he released her wrist from his grasp with one swift motion; "First off by repaying me." She warned him, feeling his body go limp beside hers.
"I paid so you wouldn't have to be stuck in Viridian City or charged with million dollars of interest leading to twenty years of hospital fees!" She explained while flicking her dark sunglasses on to shade the bright sun. "That doesn't mean you are not paying me back!" She half-shouted and Ash felt his soul leave his body.
Why did this moment feel so ungodly familiar? He inhaled, feeling a bead of sweat down his back, suddenly her once placid, timid eyes seemed like demons—and he understood the nickname. Replace sixty grand with a bike, and they were literally replaying his dream. He held in his laughter.
"So on our way to Pallet Town we should have plenty of time to discuss what you owe me." She said nonchalantly while revealing a receipt book. Ash suddenly felt like the very clothes on his back were made of fire and he wanted to flee. But his attention was drawn elsewhere.
"You're coming with me?" he squeaked feeling a slight smile tug at his lips. "Misty, that's..."
Misty blushed for only a moment at the dazed appearance of his eyes, but covered it effortlessly by snapping at him; "Don't get all mushy! I'm only going so when we find your mom I can explain the situation."
Ash felt pinpricks on his back; "What?" He shouted, unsure of if he should laugh, or scream.
"Don't think I won't ask her for money, Ketchum." She addressed him sternly raising her index finger for emphasis, and Ash followed after her heatedly.
"I hope you're joking..." he groaned, rubbing his temples.
Misty snort-laughed as she started towards the forest path to avoid the major city which would be bustling with traffic and take hours to get through. In excitement, Ash had long forgotten about his hunger.
"I never joke about these things." She elaborated as she flicked her hair at him. Ash chuckled because he wasn't sure how else to respond. What happened to the sweet, nice Misty from before? He looked at her back as she looked back at him, grinning ear to ear with an adorning twinkle in her eye. His heart skipped.
Oh.
Author's Note:
Thank you all once again for all the lovely reviews -hearts-